Balloons
Since 1985, the balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade have come in two varieties. The first and more widely known is the full-size balloon class, primarily consisting of licensed pop-culture characters; each of these is handled by 90 people on average. The second (and newer of the two) is the novelty balloon class, consisting of smaller balloons that range widely in size and are handled by between one and thirty people (some shaped like human heads that fit on the actual heads of the handlers). Since 2005, a third balloon class, the "Blue Sky Gallery," transforms the works of contemporary artists into full-size balloons. Other balloon-based spinoffs include balloonicles, trycaloons, balloonheads, and falloons. Replacing the live animals that had been used in early Macy's Parades, balloons were introduced to the event in 1928 by Tony Sarg, a marionette maker from London who had moved to New York City to perform with his puppets on the street. Initially built by the Akron, Ohio-based Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, then by Kemp Balloons from 1981 to 1983, from 1984 to 2019, the balloons have been built by Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based Raven Industries' "Aerostar" division. In 1990, Macy's collaborated with Bigger than Life to produce the Bart Simpson balloon, making it the only time since 1984 that Macy's collaborated with another company to create a giant character balloon. The following is a list of balloons that have, over the years, been featured in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, sorted by their first year in the lineup. 1920s introductions 1928 * Fish by Macy's * Tiger by Macy's * Hummingbird by Macy's * Early Bird by Macy's * Blue Elephant by Macy's 1929 * Horse with Rider by Macy's * The Katzenjammers Kids by King Features Syndicate * The Turk by Macy's * The Herr-Inspektor by King Features Syndicate * Turkey by Macy's * The Dragon by Macy's 1930s introductions 1930 * The Dog by Macy's * Joe Jinks by New York World 1931 * The Cat by Macy's * Jerry the Pig by Macy's * Tiamat the Dragon by Macy's 1932 * Felix the Cat Macy's has officially stated that Felix, the first character balloon in the parade, was introduced in 1927. (1st version) by Macy's * Willie Red Bird by Macy's * Tom the Cat by Macy's 1933 * Gulliver by Macy's * The Colicky Kid by Macy's 1934 * Mickey Mouse A second balloon of Mickey appeared in 1972, and two additional versions were made in the 2000s, one portraying him as a bandleader and the other depicting him as a sailor. (1st version) by Walt Disney Animation Studios * Pluto by Walt Disney Animation Studios * Horace by Walt Disney Animation Studios * The Big Bad Wolf by Walt Disney * The Three Little Pigs by Nursery Rhymes and Walt Disney Productions * Eddie Cantor by Macy's 1935 * The Marx Brothers by Macy's and The Marx Brothers * Donald Duck A second balloon of Donald was introduced in 1962. (1st version) by Walt Disney Animation Studios * Turkey by Macy's * Indian by Macy's 1936 * Morton the Nantucket Sea Monster Longest balloon to ever appear in parade by Macy's * Father Knickerbocker by Macy's * 2 Headed Pirate by Macy's 1937 * Officer SOS 13 by Macy's * Christmas Stocking by Macy's * Pinocchio by Macy's 1938 * Ferdinand the Bull by Munro Leaf & Walt Disney Pictures * Uncle Sam (1st version) by Macy's * Big Man, Little Man by Macy's 1939 * The Tin Man by MGM * Santa Claus by Macy's 1940s introductions 1940 * Happy Hippo (1st version) by Macy's * Superman Superman's balloon was redesigned into the "Football Player" balloon in 1941. Superman later returned with a new balloon in 1966, then a third balloon of the character - one of the largest to ever appear in the parade- was used in the 1980s. (1st version) by Detective Comics Inc. * Clarence the Clown by Macy's 1941 * Hugo the Football Hero by Macy's * Elephant by Macy's * Goldfish by Macy's * Sea Serpent by Macy's 1945 * Triple-Scoop Ice Cream Cone (1st version) by Macy's * Bobo the Hobo (1st version) by Macy's * The Man on the Flying Trapeze * Teddy Bear (1st version) by Macy's * Jack O'Lantern by Macy's 1946 * Baseball Player * Panda Bear * Pilgrim Father * Candy Cane 1947 * Pirate * Police Officer * The Goofy Gnome 1948 * Fireman * Crocodile * Howdy Doody by NBC * Monkey on the Flying Trapeze 1949 * The Dachshund * Toy Soldier * Flying Fish (1st Version) * The Clown (1st Version) 1950s introductions 1951 * Lucky Pup * Mighty Mouse by 20th Century Fox/Terrytoons 1952 * Spaceman by Macy's 1953 * Gorgeous Gobbler by Macy's 1954 * Flying Fish (2nd Version) * The Greatest Show on Earth Clown (2nd Version) 1956 * Observer by Macy's 1957 * Popeye by King Features Syndicate 1960s introductions 1960 * Happy Dragon The original Happy Dragon is the longest-lasting balloon ever to appear in the parade, with twenty-four appearances by Macy's 1961 * Bullwinkle J. Moose A second version of Bullwinkle's balloon, pairing him with his friend/sidekick Rocky, was used in the mid- and late 1990s. by The Kalmus Company 1962 * Donald Duck (2nd version) by Walt Disney Productions 1963 * Sinclair Oil Dinosaur by Sinclair Oil * Elsie the Cow by the Borden Dairy Company 1964 * Linus the Lionhearted by Post Cereals 1965 * Underdog by Total TeleVision 1966 * Superman (2nd version) by National Periodical Publications * Smokey Bear by General Electric Company 1968 * Aviator Snoopy Snoopy has had more variants made than any other character, with seven in total. He first appeared as an aviator, then became an astronaut in 1969 to promote the Apollo 11 space program. In the 1980s, two versions of Snoopy were made: an "Ice Skating" version and a "Winter" version, the latter of which paired him with his buddy Woodstock. A fifth version was launched in 1999 to herald in the new millennium; this was given a minor alteration in 2001 to honor the parade's 75th anniversary. In 2007, a sixth Snoopy balloon was made, based on his "Flying Ace" alter ego. The most recent Snoopy balloon, again pairing him with Woodstock, was introduced in 2013. (1st version) by United Media 1969 * Astronaut Snoopy (2nd version) by United Media 1970s introductions 1971 * Smile by Harvey Ball * Mickey Mouse (2nd version) by Walt Disney Productions 1975 * Weeble by Playskool 1977 * Kermit the Frog After the original was retired, a second balloon of the character was launched in the 2000s. (1st Version) by Henson Associates 1980s introductions 1980 * Superman (3rd version) by DC Comics 1982 * Olive Oyl by King Features Syndicate * Woody Woodpecker Widest balloon in parade history by Walter Lantz Productions 1983 * Yogi Bear by Hanna-Barbera Productions 1984 * Garfield by United Feature Syndicate * Raggedy Ann by I.D.T. Character Licensing 1985 * Betty Boop by King Features Syndicate 1986 * Humpty Dumpty by Macy's * Olive Oyl with Swee'Pea by King Features Syndicate * Baby Shamu by SeaWorld 1987 * Spider-Man by Marvel Comics * Ronald McDonald Ronald has appeared in four versions since he was introduced to the parade. In his first, he was holding balloons; in his second, he was normal; in his third, he was wearing a scarf and ice skates, and in his fourth, he was wearing a tuxedo version of his usual costume. by McDonald's * Snuggle Bear by The Lever Bros. Company * Snoopy on Skates (3rd version) by United Media 1988 * Big Bird by Children's Television Workshop * Quik Bunny by Nestle Foods Corporation * The Pink Panther by MGM * Snoopy and Woodstock (4th version) by United Media 1989 * Bugs Bunny by Warner Bros. 1990s introductions 1990 * Clifford the Big Red Dog by Scholastic * Bart Simpson by Fox Incorporated. 1991 * Babar by Nelvana Limited and the Clifford Ross Company 1992 * Santa Goofy by The Walt Disney Company 1993 * Beethoven by Universal Pictures * Sonic the Hedgehog A second balloon of the character was made in 2011, based on a redesign introduced after the original balloon was retired. by SEGA of America * [[Rex the Dinosaur|Rex from We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story]]'' by Universal Pictures * Izzy by The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games 1994 * Barney the Dinosaur by The Lyons Group * The Cat in the Hat by Random House Children's Publishing 1995 * Dudley the Dragon by Meridian Worldwide * SkyDancer by Abrams Gentile Entertainment * Eben Bear by Macy's 1996 * Rocky and Bullwinkle (2nd version) by Universal Studios Consumer Products * Peter Rabbit by Fredrick Ward & Company 1997 * Arthur Read by Eden LLC * Rugrats by Nickelodeon * Bumpé by Skandiiplaay ltd * Miss Petula Pig by Macy's 1998 * Babe the Pig by Universal Studios Consumer Products * Wild Thing by Bell Atlantic * Dexter's Laboratory by Cartoon Network 1999 * Millennium Snoopy (5th version) by United Media * Buzz the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee by General Mills * Blue's Clues by Nickelodeon 2000s introductions 2000 * Bandleader Mickey (3rd version) by The Walt Disney Company * Jeeves by Ask.com * Ronald McDonald (2nd version) by McDonald's * Dragon Tales' Cassie by Sony Pictures Family Entertainment 2001 * Curious George by Vivendi Universal * Pikachu Three balloons have been made for the parade, one showing Pikachu flying, another with him chasing a PokeBall, and a third with him holding a Pikachu snowman (1st version) by The Pokémon Company * Jimmy Neutron by Nickelodeon * Cheesasaurus Rex by Kraft Macaroni & Cheese * Big Bird (2nd version) by Sesame Workshop 2002 * Charlie Brown & The Elusive Football by United Feature Syndicate * Little Bill by Nickelodeon * Mr. Monopoly by Parker Bros. * Kermit the Frog (2nd version) by The Jim Henson Company 2003 * Strike Up the Band Barney (2nd version) by HiT Entertainment * Super Grover by Sesame Workshop * Garfield (2nd version) by Paws, Inc. 2004 * Chicken Little by Walt Disney Pictures * Red and Yellow Brighten the Holidays by M&M's Chocolate Candy * SpongeBob SquarePants (1st version) by Nickelodeon 2005 * Scooby-Doo by Warner Brothers Consumer Products * Dora the Explorer by Nickelodeon * Healthy Mr. Potato Head by The United States Potato Board * JoJo's Circus by Disney Channel 2006 * 80th Anniversary Hot Air Balloon * Snoopy as the Flying Ace (6th version) by United Features Syndicate * Pikachu with PokéBall (2nd version) by Pokemon USA Inc. 2007 * Abby Cadabby by Sesame Workshop * "Super Cute" Hello Kitty (1st Version) by Sanrio * Shrek by DreamWorks Animation 2008 * Smurf by Sony Pictures Animation * Buzz Lightyear by Disney/Pixar * Horton the Elephant by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 2009 * Spider-Man (2nd version) by Marvel Entertainment * Ronald McDonald (3rd version) by McDonald's * Sailor Mickey Mouse (4th version) by Disney Cruise Line * Pillsbury Doughboy (1st Version) by Pillsbury 2010s introductions 2010 * Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Abrams Children's Publishing * [[Po from Kung Fu Panda|Po from ''Kung Fu Panda]]'' by DreamWorks Animation'' 2011 * Julius by Paul Frank * Sonic the Hedgehog (2nd version) by SEGA 2012 * Papa Smurf by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment * The Elf on the Shelf by CCA and B, LLC * Hello Kitty (2nd version) by Sanrio 2013 * Snoopy & Woodstock (7th version) by Peanuts Worldwide * SpongeBob SquarePants by Nickelodeon * How To Train Your Dragon's Toothless by DreamWorks Animation * The Wizard of Oz Hot Air Balloon by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment * Finn & Jake by Cartoon Network 2014 * Thomas the Tank Engine by Mattel Incorporated. * Paddington Bear Originally appeared as a falloon in the 1990's by The Copyrights Group * Red Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger by Saban * Skylanders' Eruptor by Activision * Pikachu (3rd version) by The Pokemon Company International * Pillsbury Doughboy (2nd version) by Pillsbury 2015 * Ice Age's Scrat & His Acorn by 20th Century Fox * Angry Birds' Red by Rovio Entertainment * Ronald McDonald (4th version) by McDonald's * Sinclair's DINO (2nd version) by Sinclair Oil 2016 * Charlie Brown (2nd version) by Peanuts Worldwide * Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2nd version) by Abrams * Trolls by DreamWorks Animation * Felix the Cat (2nd version) by DreamWorks Animation 2017 * Olaf by Walt Disney Animation Studios * Jett by Alpha Group * Chase by Spin Master LTD * The Grinch by Illumination Animation 2018 * Goku by Funimation 2019 * Astronaut Snoopy (8th version) by Peanuts Worldwide * Smokey Bear (2nd version) by United States Department of Agriculture - Forest Service * Spongebob SquarePants (3rd Version) by Nickelodeon * Green Eggs and Ham by Netflix 2020s Introductions 2020 TBA in June or July 2020! Novelty Balloons Below, you will find all of the Novelty Balloons that have appeared in the Parade, dating back to their introduction in 1985. Blue Sky Gallery entries * "Humpty Dumpty" by Tom Otterness (2005-2006) * "Rabbit" by Jeff Koons (2007) * "Figure with Heart" by Keith Haring (2008) * "Kaikai and Kiki" by Takashi Murakami (2010) * "B" by Tim Burton (2011) * "Companion" by KAWS (2012) * "Little Cloud" by FriendsWithYou (2018) * ”Love Flies Up to the Sky” by Yayoi Kusama (2019) See also * Falloon - Float-based balloons. * Balloonicle - Self-powered balloon vehicles. Notes Category:Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Parade Features